Animal Collective

When the enigmatic rock group Animal Collective released Merriweather Post Pavilion in January, it became an early frontrunner for 2009's best record. Hear the band perform a full concert at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., recorded live on May 11.

Animal Collective makes sound collages its members describe as "sonic freeform electronic horror gospel hip-hop soul pop madness." The results are inventive and playfully refreshing. Hear the band in a full concert, recorded live on NPR.org.

Animal Collective began by intersecting folk, noise, ambient drone and psychedelic music into an intriguing, sometimes frustrating mess. The band has progressed to a unified sound, but remains rooted in melody and weirdness. Hear an interview and performance from KEXP.

All Songs Considered's list of the 50 most important recordings of the decade begins with composer John Adams and runs through Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

It's hard to believe, but the first decade of the new millennium is rapidly drawing to a close — and it's been a remarkable one for music. In this edition of All Songs Considered, host Bob Boilen looks back at some of the defining trends, sounds and historic moments that made the '00s stand out, in a roundtable discussion with Monitor Mix blogger Carrie Brownstein, All Songs Considered producer Robin Hilton and NPR Music editor Stephen Thompson.

NPR listeners cast thousands of votes for the year's best music (so far) and kept the race tight. In the end, Animal Collective edged out every other artist in both the Best Album category, and for Best Song. Artists like Grizzly Bear, The Decemberists and Neko Case weren't far behind. One thing was clear: 2009 has been one of the strongest years for new music in recent memory.

When the enigmatic rock group Animal Collective released Merriweather Post Pavilion in January, it became an early frontrunner for 2009's best record. Hear the band perform a full concert at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., recorded live on May 11.

On Animal Collective's latest album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, the group delivers a sonic super nova of tribal rhythms, pulsing synths, and shimmering vocals, mashed together in a stew of strangely infectious noise. Hear the entire CD, streaming on NPR Music.

"My Girls" functions as Animal Collective's most accessible new track, possessing everything good about its new album writ small: It's relatively brief, it's got a killer hook and, for a band that can tend toward the theoretical, it's a surpassingly warm, infectiously joyous ode to settling down that almost single-handedly justifies the hype.

On this edition of All Songs Considered we've got exclusive sneak previews of some of this year's most anticipated albums: M. Ward's upcoming release, Hold Time, is a gorgeously produced mix of finger-picked guitars, upright bass and shuffling rhythms, all tied together by his achy voice. Hear the song "Stars of Leo," now on All Songs Considered, and the entire M. Ward album at midnight Monday, Jan. 12. Also on the show: Bon Iver, Animal Collective, Heartless Bastards, and a classic from the Bee Gees.

On Animal Collective's latest album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, the group delivers a sonic super nova of tribal rhythms, pulsing synths, and shimmering vocals, mashed together in a stew of strangely infectious noise. Hear the entire CD, streaming on NPR Music.

Animal Collective is an experimental pop band that's cultivated an air of mystery over the past few years, as well as a passionate following. Will Hermes reviews the band's new album, Merriweather Post Pavilion.

"My Girls" functions as Animal Collective's most accessible new track, possessing everything good about its new album writ small: It's relatively brief, it's got a killer hook and, for a band that can tend toward the theoretical, it's a surpassingly warm, infectiously joyous ode to settling down that almost single-handedly justifies the hype.

On this edition of All Songs Considered we've got exclusive sneak previews of some of this year's most anticipated albums: M. Ward's upcoming release, Hold Time, is a gorgeously produced mix of finger-picked guitars, upright bass and shuffling rhythms, all tied together by his achy voice. Hear the song "Stars of Leo," now on All Songs Considered, and the entire M. Ward album at midnight Monday, Jan. 12. Also on the show: Bon Iver, Animal Collective, Heartless Bastards, and a classic from the Bee Gees.